That Night
by EloraCooper4
Summary: Arthur stays professional at all times, even on the worst night of Cobb's life.


Note: I wrote this a bit ago, decided I hated it and left it be. Then I came back and thought 'eh, it's ok' haha. Let me know where you weigh in on the issue ;)

"Uncle Arthur?" Phillipa whined rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "It's still dark."

"I know, Phillipa, I know, but it's time to get up, okay?" Arthur replied crouching down by the side of Phillipa's bed. The little girl had her pink princess bedspread pulled up towards her chin, a stuffed dog firmly under her arm. Arthur reached out to brush his hand along her blonde hair. "I need to you be a big girl for me. We're going over to your grandparents' house for the rest of the night. You'll have pancakes in the morning."

Phillipa yawned and pushed her stuffed dog to the side, Arthur was always amused by the fact that she called it 'Squishy.' It was rather appropriate. "With blueberries?" She asked looking Arthur straight in the eye like a negotiator would, needing a serious answer to her serious question.

Arthur had to smile at this although it was very controlled smile. "Yes, with blueberries. Whip cream too. How does that sound?" He asked glancing at the clock. They had to move now.

With a sigh, Phillipa gave in. "Okay. I wear my princess dress?"

Arthur shook his head. "We're just driving over in your pjs, so you can have a sleepover. How does that sound?"

She nodded and grabbed Squishy before slipping off of her bed. "Squishy can come?"

"Of course, he can. It wouldn't be a sleep over without him. Let's go get your brother." Arthur took hold of Phillipa's tiny hand. Moving into James' room, Arthur broke loose of Phillipa to carefully pull his sleeping godson into his arms. At least he would sleep through the move. Arthur gently placed James on his shoulder who held onto him tightly out of instinct. "Alright, Miss Phillipa, let's go."

Phillipa yawned once again, but reached up for Arthur's free hand, reaching it on her second try. "'Cle Arthur?"

"What Phillipa?" Arthur asked quietly while locking up the Cobb residence and carefully placing James in the backseat of his car. He didn't have a car seat for him, but he didn't have the time to find one in the garage. No, they needed to move.

Phillipa climbed into the backseat with her brother. "Where's Momma?"

Arthur felt like he had the wind knocked out of him now. By a simple question from a child. "She's…" He leaned in making sure that Phillipa was securely buckled into the car, "Why don't you close your eyes and dream of her okay? She'll be in your dreams."

"Kay," Phillipa yawned closing her eyes.

Arthur stared at her for a moment, she looked so much like Dom. Both Phillipa and James did. They had his sandy blonde hair and his round face. Arthur remembered hearing her say that she had nothing to do with the children at all. She would always laugh, and say that they would perhaps inherit one of her quirks. Or her French accent.

His eyes snapped down to his watch, 11:30. No more time.

Arthur slipped into the front seat and backed up out of the Cobb residence driveway. Glancing at both of the children for a moment, he shifted the car in drive and headed out of the small cul-de-sac neighborhood. She had always said that she loved it there. That it was so protected and safe for their children despite what she did for a living.

It was Miles who answered the door. Looking at his daughter and son-in-law's business partner and friend, there was nothing but annoyance in his eyes. "Jesus, Arthur do you not see the time? Couldn't this have waited?"

"No," Arthur said simply handing James over to Miles. "I have a pressing business matter. It can't wait."

"Damn, dreamers," Angela, Miles' wife, uttered when she reached the door. The dark curls. The dark eyes. The delicate frame. She took hold of Phillipa with no real effort, and she disappeared into the house. She had never had patience for the family occupation, only hoping for the safety of her daughter and husband.

Miles shook his head. "Fine, Arthur, but I'm going to have a long talk to Dom about this. I know he likes you, despite my hesitation," He replied shaking his finger which was apparently warning Arthur. "He can't trust you if you need to follow your old...ways this late at night and leave the kids here."

For a moment, Arthur thought about telling him. Telling him why he was there, why he had to leave the kids with them…but he knew that he shouldn't be the one delivering the news to Miles. Then again, it seemed like Miles and Angela would have to learn from absolute strangers. Maybe it would be better that way. Miles never liked Arthur.

Arthur glanced at his watch. 11:45. He had to go. "Miles…I'm sorry. I have to leave."

"Fine," Miles muttered waving his hand at Arthur as if he was a bothersome fly. "Go do whatever it is you need to do." With that he closed the door.

Arthur's body sprang back into the car, onto the highway, and into the parking lot of the motel. His mind on the mission. His mind on finishing this right. Getting him out safety. Covering their tracks. Moving. As soon as Arthur got the call, he told Dom to leave the area. Meet him at a local motel, room 211. To pay for the next three nights although they wouldn't spend one night there. To place all of his identification on the bed. To change out of his suit, his shoes, his socks, shower, and throw all of his clothes into a local dumpster. Burn it if he could. Buy new clothes at a local store, nothing to draw attention to himself. Move, always keep moving.

When Arthur reached the motel, his eyes scanned the area before exiting his car. There was no sign of anyone. Not even cars driving past on the local high way. That was a good sign. Using his normal gait, he walked up the staircase, a silver suitcase grasped firmly in his hand. When he reached room 211 he saw a "do not disturb" sign was on the door knob, just as Arthur suggested. Arthur reached up his hand to knock on the door. "It's me," He muttered.

Almost immediately the door opened to reveal Dom Cobb. Arthur slipped into the motel room and closed the door behind him. "Did you do everything I told you to?" Arthur asked placing the suitcase on the bed and opening it. A series of passports, papers, driver licenses, social security cards, credit cards were on display, organized perfectly. Turning to Dom, Arthur stared at his friend and co-worker. It looked like the man had aged ten years since he saw him last, which was only a few hours ago. A few hours ago Cobb showed Arthur the flowers he was going to deliver to her, made sure his suit looked nice…after all Arthur was the expert on suits. Now Dom's face…every wrinkle seemed to sink deeper into his face. Shadows were in his eyes. His whole body was hunched over, and his arms hung at his side. Every inch of strength seemed to be sucked from his body. Arthur knew that this was Dom Cobb standing in front of him, but this was a different man at the same time. "Cobb," Arthur barked, his voice sounding harsh in the silence of the motel room, "Did you do everything I told you to?"

Dom closed his eyes and nodded. "I burned my suit. In a dumpster in the back of the motel," As he spoke it sounded like every word pained his throat, moving his lips an effort.

"Good," Arthur moved back towards the suitcase. "The next three days paid for here?" Dom stared down at the floor, at his hands, and his fingers. "Dom, listen to me! Did you pay for the next three days?"

"No, not yet. I. Only paid for the one." Dom replied while raising his eyes slowly to meet Arthur's form. "The kids?"

"At Miles and Angela's. They'll be fine there for the night." Arthur explained his words falling from his lips quicker than usual. "Here." He showed Cobb a passport. "If we get pulled over your name is Neil Craig. You are a high school physics teacher from Washington, and you're driving back home. College buddies. I'm one of them. Put that in your new wallet, along with Craig's driver's license, social security card, and credit cards." Arthur passed all of these cards to Cobb. "Move it, get your cards in and then go back to the office and pay for two more nights. Cash."

Cobb looked at all of the papers and cards as if they were foreign objects.

"Cobb, we don't have time," Arthur uttered again gathering all of Dom's old papers and cards which he had laid out on the bed as he ordered. Disappearing into the bathroom, Arthur ripped all of the papers in half and then in half again until they resembled confetti. He dropped the paper in the toilet, and flushed it. After pulling out a Swiss army knife from his pocket, Arthur did the same with each card. The only thing that he held onto was Dom's passport, which he tucked inside of his suit jacket.

When he returned to the bedroom he found Cobb sitting on the bed, once again lost in thought and despair. Arthur balled his hands up into fists. "Cobb, I know you're upset now, I get that but if you want to stay out of jail you have to move now. Think of your kids. Don't think of her."

If Arthur didn't know better, he would think that Cobb was smiling at that moment. "You never asked me if I did it , Arthur."

"What?" He asked putting his hand on his hips.

"When I called you up and told you what happened…you never asked me if I killed her," Cobb looked up at Arthur, tears in his eyes now. The point man stared at his co-worker, his mentor, his best friend.

"I know you didn't." He said firmly, with a sense of urgency in his voice. "Go to the main office and pay for another two nights in cash. Don't forget in cash." Arthur reached for Cobb's sleeve and pulled him up from the bed. That was all the incentive Cobb needed, he looked back at Arthur a thanks in his eyes although he wasn't actually able to verbalize it.

Closing the door behind him, he left Arthur alone. The point man rushed towards the door waiting to hear Dom's footsteps fade away. When he couldn't hear them any longer, Arthur rested his back against the door. With his right hand he reached into his pants pocket, his hand shaking as he did so. He pulled out the red die and allowed it to slip from his fingers and hit the ground. Six. No, this wasn't a dream.

His knees sunk down onto the ground. Again, his right hand reached for the die. This time shaking it in his fist before letting it fall. Six. A whine erupted from Arthur's chest. Maybe just maybe if he tried again. The die was back in his hand, back on the ground. Six. Again. Six. Again. Six. Six.

Arthur's whole body clenched tightly. His hands moved into his hair gripping the strands tighter and tighter until it hurt. Breathing, through his teeth, he tried to focus on anything but this reality. Anything. But all that seemed to slip through was her. That smile. That small kiss that she placed on his forehead. More than his mother had ever given him.

Arthur cried a sharp loud sob, raised himself from the ground, and made sure his totem was placed carefully in his pocket, his hands shaking now like a Parkinson's patient. His left foot lurched forward, his hands reaching out to land on a wooden chair for balance. Arthur's fingers tightened around the rungs of the chair, his knuckles turning ghost white. His breathing got heavier, harder. With a growl, Arthur raised the chair and threw it across the room with all of his strength. It smashed into the closest wall. Wood falling to pieces. Next he found a vase, which he heaved at the mirror over the sofa. Both the mirror and vase shattered to pieces covering the carpet with pieces of glass.

It wasn't until he found his knees on the carpet again that he realized he was crying. His shoulders shook, heavy with sobs. As the tears rushed down his face, he wondered who it was he was crying for. For Phillipa and James who were refused the pleasure of growing up with the love of a spectacular mother. For Dom who not only had to live with the memory of her death, but the loss of a partner in the closest sense. For Miles and Angela who would lose their child. Or maybe he was crying for all of those who knew her from their profession. He imagined Eames hearing the news and not believing it at first. Not her. Not the girl with the pirate smile…

Arthur gasped for air and he closed his mouth tightly, the pain rising in his chest. He knew that he was also crying for himself. Cobb was his partner, his best friend. What was she to him? A safe haven. Someone who would always touch him, remind him that he was in the real world by that simple loving touch. Someone who would always smile at him although he could never return it. Someone who could be concerned about him, remind him to go to bed at 3 AM, to encourage him to find himself a girl, to bury his past and live his own life. Someone to care for him. Someone to love him.

Hearing the steps on the stairs, Arthur fell back into place. Using the back of his palm, he smeared the tears from his face. Then he carefully pushed his body up from the ground, and ran his hands down his suit fighting off wrinkles. "Move," He whispered to himself as Cobb joined him in the room.

"I got three nights," He murmured not even noticing the sudden destruction in the room.

"Good, now let's go. We'll drive all night," Arthur passed Dom his bags and headed towards the door. "Tomorrow we'll meet up with my associate at your place again. I've already called him and he said that he'll have some flight options. And I'll make sure Angela brings the kids."

The two men left the hotel room behind and drove all night. Arthur took the first driving shift, allowing Dom to at least attempt sleep. All of the while, Arthur kept his poker face. He never allowed his emotions to break through him again.

After all, he was Arthur. He didn't have emotions.


End file.
